Earlier released in Japan in 1996, Arc the Lad 2 was translated and released
along with Arc the Lad, Arc the Lad 3, and Monster Tournament for the US on
April 16th 2002 by Working Designs. One problem was waiting for what seemed
like an eternity in delays, which it seemed that way if you were waiting for
it's release. This review however is only 1/3 of the entire collection, and
is for a more in depth review of each game.

Arc the Lad 2 is a direct continuation of the story that is Arc the Lad, but
still in a way, different. This time around you play the role of Elc, a
hunter with the power of flame, who witnessed the destruction of his
village, and later allies himself with Arc to stop the resurrection of the
Dark One. The storyline and character development of the game is
excellent, as not only will the player want to find out what happens next,
but they'll also feel a sense of closeness to each character in the game.

Just like the original Arc the Lad, characters gain stat increases each
level up, as well as gaining many different spells, each spell allowing to
raise to level 3. What is different is the fact that not only can
characters equip accessories, but weapons and armor as well. Weapons,
Armor, and Accessories will gain levels when used, which then results in an
increase of attack or defense, as well as the usual bonus'. However, not
only do the weapons and armor gain levels up, but the characters abilities
to use different weapons, which result in higher damage and accuracy.
Lastly, a character named Lieza has the ability to tame monsters, which you
can level up, learn abilities, and eventually change classes, which in turn
allows them to gain more abilities.

Just like the original Arc the Lad, the second has multiple continents,
although, what's unique about the second to the original, as well as every
Tactical RPG in general, is the addition of towns and dungeons to walk
through, rather than just storyline and battles. This is what allows Arc
the Lad 2 to have the Hunters Guild, in which you take on jobs which usually
have you talking to NPC's and finding items, or going to certain places.
This part in the game makes Arc the Lad 2 much more enjoyable, because you
have the freedom to take a break from the storyline once in awhile. Also,
two things never before seen in a game (at least for the US, unless you count
Suikoden 2) is Arc the Lad 2's ability to convert the file from the first,
allowing for characters to retain the levels of the firsts characters, and
also keeping some of the items, which can be acquired later on in Arc the
Lad 2, as well as loading character data on Monster Tournament (Arc Arena),
and battle for items or monsters.

Seeing how half of the tracks in the game are from the original, that tells
you that the music is going to be better, but a few tracks from the original
were shortened, which ruined those few tracks. The other half of the tracks
are original, which allow each place to have it's own unique track (except
for some dungeons and battles), so you won't hear much of the same music
when traveling from place to place.

All weapons? It can't be?

Just like the original, the graphics are anime like, however, the world maps
in Arc the Lad 2 are much better, and the towns are beautifully done. Each
character has multiple attack animations as well, and all the abilities have
been redone to be better looking than on the first(with a slight exception
for a few abilities that look horrible on the second). Just like on the
first however, the FMV's in the game weren't very great, and were usually
short clips that seemed to be added just for the sake of being in the game.

The best in the Arc the Lad series, and with a perfect mix of gameplay and
storyline, Arc the Lad 2 an RPG no one should be without.